4 min readNew DelhiOct 14, 2024 06:39 AM IST
First published on: Oct 14, 2024 at 06:39 AM IST
Seven years ago, Mahmood Zamani (52) came from Afghanistan to Delhi so that his sons, one aged 25 and the other 21, could have a shot at a university education. But he soon realised options for a refugee like him were limited. So he took to waiting outside the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Vikaspuri.
Every day, for the past three months, Zamani arrives on the dot at noon and sits outside till 6 pm. “I couldn’t educate my children as I didn’t have proper documents and money,” he says. “I registered here (at UNHCR) and got an ID (refugee card). But I’ve been awaiting resettlement for years. If they can’t give me a space to live here, send me somewhere else. My son earns Rs 15,000, working in a gym in Jangpura, from 5 am to 10 pm. Out of that, Rs 9,000 goes into rent,” says Zamani, who lives in Jangpura’s Bhogal with his wife, sons, and two teenage daughters.
Like him, there are several refugees from other war-torn countries like Afghanistan and Sudan. Many live in temporary tents outside the office. Sometimes, they protest seeking help to get to Europe, resettle in India, or for cash assistance — often leading to skirmishes with locals. In one such incident on September 30, Syrian refugee Rafat, his 11-month-old son, and a Sudanese national were allegedly attacked by locals with a corrosive substance.
Rafat, 28, a former call centre employee, his wife Marisa, a Thai national, and their son had been living outside the office for a month while he tried to get a job. He sustained burn injuries on his neck, back, and hands while his son had injuries near his eyes and on his chest. His son would possibly need plastic surgery for the burns, says Rafat.
“All I want is to leave this country now… I have already lost a son, I was about to lose another,” he says. His firstborn died in Bengaluru in 2018 in an accident. Police said a man, Rakesh Kumar, has been arrested in the case. “The liquid thrown seems to be phenyl. One of the locals opened a jerry can and threw it on their (family’s) tent. The exact composition is being verified,” DCP (West) Vichitra Veer had said.
Also outside the office is Mohammad Naimi, 50, who fled Afghanistan with his wife and two young daughters in 2019. Settling in Lajpat Nagar, Naimi found work as a transporter at a dry fruit shop. But the Covid pandemic dealt them a heavy blow. “In December 2020, my three-year-old daughter succumbed to Covid. In June 2020, my two-year-old daughter also lost her life to the virus.”
The deaths of their daughters have shattered the family. His wife, overwhelmed by grief, is now dependent on antidepressants, he says. Paying for her medicines became tougher when he was fired from his job on September 20. “… I take a bus every day from Jangpura and come and sit here. But every day, I am told to come the next day. I don’t even have an ID,” he says.
According to the UNHCR website, no refugee is guaranteed resettlement or cash assistance. It says it is for the organisation to decide which are the most vulnerable groups in need of such services. But this makes little difference for the protesting refugees outside.
Usman, 25, says he came to Hyderabad from Sudan in 2019, with hopes of completing his education in the city. “My uncle was funding my education. But he died in 2020. I then moved to Tamil Nadu to work and support my family,” he says. Usman, who has two younger sisters and his parents at home, came to the UNHCR office in Delhi hoping for relocation. He has been waiting for three months.
“I’ve been living in a tent outside the UNHCR office. Last night, police took it away,” he claims.
Police, however, deny removing any tents. “They (refugees) stay in front of the office during the day and shift to other areas by night. They protest very loudly around the office, disturbing neighbours. Police came after some neighbours complained,” a police officer said.
Outside the UNHCR office in Vikaspuri. Tashi Tobgyal 
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